From left to right: Nicole Rajesky, Julian Morgan and Shereen Ladha.

Rethink has hired two new strategic planners and promoted one in Toronto to lead some of its biggest accounts, as well as to accommodate new business wins.

The agency has hired strategy director Shereen Ladha and senior strategist Nicole Rajesky, while also promoting Julian Morgan to strategy director.

Like most agencies, Rethink had to make adjustments as a result of the pandemic, and was forced to lay off 30 people across the agency and temporarily roll back salaries. Christina Yu, a partner and creative director at the agency, was among those let go.

Sean McDonald, managing partner and head of strategy at Rethink says salaries have since been restored across the agency, which has been able to re-hire 10 people, in addition to Ladha and Rajesky.

Ladha joined Rethink on June 15 after two years as a senior member of the strategy and social team at McCann Canada. Rajesky starts on July 6, coming from No Fixed Address.

McDonald tells strategy that, since March, Rethink has had three new account wins “of varying sizes.” He wasn’t prepared to go into details about the new business wins at this time, but did say that these hires and promotion serve to accommodate this growth.

McDonald says Ladha and Morgan – who first joined Rethink in 2017 – will work “arm-in-arm” to help him lead the strategic group. Ladha will lead Rethink’s IKEA account and help oversee some of the agency’s other work, including Nestle.

“[Ladha has] got a really strong background having led social at McCann. She’ll bring that expertise to Rethink,” McDonald says.

Morgan will be leading one of Rethink’s “bigger accounts,” McDonald says, and continue to work on Molson Coors, as well as Kraft. Rajesky will be working across several clients, including Molson Coors.

Ladha is filling a maternity leave position, but will be staying on full-time, McDonald says. Rajesky’s position is a net-new role in the department.